Administration discusses school safety, spaces

Ethan Ryan
Contributing Writer

Webster Groves School District held a community public forum in the high school library, Sept. 20, to discuss safety and space requirements of specific schools throughout the district.

Edgar Road uses modular classrooms and is planning on adding on a third unit to account for the lack of space in the school. Photo from WGSD website

The district is making the rounds and hosting forums at each of district’s schools. Superintendent John Simpson leads the presentations and uses the forums to discuss pressing issues within our school system.

One of these is space for elementary schools. Modulars have become a regular fix for the district’s elementary schools as they themselves do not have enough space to house all the students.

Webster has become a hotspot for new parents as per Simpson, “Webster Groves has seen the largest increase in births in the Missouri region.”

The district has looked into leasing space from churches or other schools, giving parents more options when it comes to where their children can go to school or potentially building a new elementary school.

Either option would help as schools like Avery, Edgar Road, Bristol, etc., have seen a 16 percent increase in students as of this year. Staff lunch areas are being converted into music rooms, and classrooms spill out into the hallway, according to the WGSD Forum Presentation.

School’s safety was also discussed at the forum as Simpson used the high school’s new policies and systems as reference. The new Raptor system and the closed door policy are evidence of the districts attempts to create a stronger perimeter for the school.

Principal Matt Irvin was in attendance for the forum and spoke about safety for high school students, “[It is] critically important that every kid has a trusted adult.”

Future forum dates can be found on the Webster Groves School District site under Safety and Space.

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Participant in Breakfast with Santa makes paper snowflakes. Children also made reindeer food and sat on Santa's lap. It was put on as a fundraiser for Marketing II/DECA New York Trip. Photo by Lindsey Bennett